Venoclysis equipment



Jan. 1952 G. R. RYAN ETAL vENoCLYsIs EQUIPMENT Filed June l, 1950 Patented Jan. 1, 1952 vENocLrsis EQUIPMENT George R. .Ryan and Robert F. McGrew, Waukegan, Ill., assignors to Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application June i, 195o, serial No. 165,556

3 Claims. l

This invention relates to .an air-bleed for venoclysis equipment, and more particularly to .a combined air-bleed and bottle-.connector for use with equipment transferring fluids from va bulk container to a .patients body.

Generally, venoclysis equipment consists of a iiud container holding a substantially greater amount than .an ordinary hypodermic syringe, an outlet for the container 4attached to a length of tubing having .a hypodermic cannula on the end thereof, and an air inlet to .the container. It not infrequently happens that fluid from another bottle is desired to be injected into the receiving patient; and the simplest procedure is to connect the additional bottle directly into the equipment set up, so that `no break in the injection procedure is necessary.

The devices of .the prior `art have various and sundry methods of introducing air and other rluids into the main liiuid container of the venoclysis set up. Included in the prior art devices are internal bleeds such as a stand-pipe in the nuid container, which is open to the atmosphere tc the inside top of the bottle, bulky external liquid air filters, and the like. The known air bleeds for venoclysis equipment have many disadvantages, and each being specically designed for a certain type of bottle, they have limited use. Furthermore, with most of the air bleeds it is impossible to connect another bottle of fluid ierethrough.

, According to the present invention, our air bleed is adaptable for use as an air bleed, an air filter and a connector.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the device according to the invention;

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the device of Figure i; and

Figure 3 is a partial section of the air bleed in operation.

The device of Figure 1 comprises a main tube i having a constricted portion Il in the approximate center of the bore. The constricted portion li has a ball valve seat l2 on one side thereof. Gn the opposite side of the constriction i i the bore flares outwardly with a diverging wall having a standard tapered wall, commonly called a Luer fitting. A ball I3 is disposed on the seat side of the constriction il and the ball is retained in the tube iti by means of a cap 20. The cap 2t has a bore 28 therethrough and the transverse notch 26 to allow fluid to pass around the ball when the ball is adjacent the end of the cap. The cap 2i! has a tight frictional fit in 4(Cl. 12S-141) the tube I0, and is prevented from further entry into the tube by a shoulder 3D., which rests on the end of tube lil. A 'hypoderinic cannula 22 having a sharpened end 24. is retained by a forced fit in the 'bore 28. The ball I8 Vis a very loose lit in the bore It and is free to move between the seat l 2 and the end 25 of the cap.

11n the .operation ofthe device of 'Figure l is an air bleed, a wad of cotton il is inserted into the Luer fitting it to Vlilter air entering through the bleed. The air bleed is inserted through a stopper in the fluid container, such as stopper d2 shown in Figure :3 which is inserted into the bottie or uid container 4t. The dispensing Ytube 5i] is also connected through the stopper by means of'a cannula 48. The bottle di) is then inverted, and after completely lling the dispensing Vtube Sil with the fluid', the `hypcolerrnic cannula l52 is inserted 'into the vel-n of the patient. As -iiuid leaves the bottle, air must be admitted to replace the dispensed fluid, or the flow of fluid will cease. When the -a'ir bleed is in operative position, the ball Ji8 rests on the seat i2 which prevents any exodus of ilu-id from the air bleed, but vas the pressure in the bottle decreases, as by dispensing l only rise from the seat l2 far enough to let air4 enter, and on cessation of flow the ball falls back on its seat immediately. Thus there will be a volume of air above the ball i3 equal to the entire interior volume of the bore ld and the cannula 22. Even with considerableback pressure, the ball Will ordinarily retain this air so that liquid will not even get down to the ball, much less to the cotton il. if the ball does not happen to have an absolutely air-tight seat, the eventual lling of the bore l 4 with liquid will wet the ball and seat, and thereafter the ball will be much more effective in preventing the liquid from accidentally wetting the cotton.

When it is desired to inject another bottle of uid when the equipment is already set up and the hypodermic cannula 52 is in the patients vein, it is only necessary to suspend another similar bottle adjacent the main iiud bottle 4i! and connect the dispensing tube 5s by means of the male Luer fitting 5l into the female Luerfltting 1S, after the removal of the cotton wad l1. The liquid from the second bottle ows into the first or primary bottle through the air-bleed, and subseduently into the patient through tubing 50. Thus additional uids may be administered by the simple expediency of connecting another bottle directly into venoclysis set up.

The cotton plug il may be replaced with an external air filter, such as an externally fitting elongated sleeve with a cotton plug in the sleeve. With such an external air lter which is easily removed and replaced, the various manipulations are facilitated.

Others may readily adapt the invention for use under various conditions of service, by employing one or more of the novel features disclosed or equivalents thereof. As at present advised with respect to the apparent scope of our invention, we desire to claim the following subject matter.

We claim:

l` A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a main tube having a constriction intermediate the ends thereof, a ball valve seat on one side of said constriction, a plug closing the end of said tube adjacent said seat. said plug having a bore therethrough, said plug having a transverse notch communicating with the internal end of said bore, shoulder portions on said plug limiting inward movement thereof, a hypodermic cannula secured in the outer end of said plug, a ball disposed between said seat and said plug and adapted to close the bore of said tube when said ball is against said seat, and a tapered bore section in said tube on the opposite side of said constriction.

2. A device of the character described comprising, in combination, a tube having a bore therethrough, a portion of said bore of restricted diameter intermediate the ends of said tube, a plug having a small bore closing one end of said tube, a hypodermic cannula secured in said bore and communicating with said tube bore, a loose f1tting ball disposed between said restricted bore portion and said plug adapted to close said bore when seated on said restricted portion, the bore on the opposite side of said restricted bore being tapered outwardly, and a transverse notch on said plug communicating with said plug bore adapted as a fluid passage when said ball is seated on said plug.

3. A unitary iitting for venoclysis equipment adapted for use as an air bleed or an air filter or an air connector and adapted for assembly with any container equipped to receive a penetrating cannula comprising: a tubular metal body having an annular interior shoulder midway of its length; a ball on one side of said shoulder; said tube having a tapered interior surface on the other side of said shoulder; said taper being sufciently acute to receive and contain a cotton plug by frictional grip; said shoulder having a ball seat on the ball side thereof; said tube having interior walls of constant circular diameter on the ball side of said shoulder; a metal plug remote from said ball integrally fitted in the end of said tube and having an abutment shoulder to limit its inward movement; a penetrating cannula integrally seated in said plug and Projecting coaxially away from said tube; the end of said plug facing toward said ball being incapable of forming a seat for said ball in communication with said cannula, whereby said ball cannot prevent the flow of fluid into said cannula.

GEORGE R. RYAN. ROBERT F. MCGREW.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 927,195 Walton July 6, 1909 1,282,000 Quayle Oct. l5, 1918 1,417,561 Persson May 30, 1922 2,452,644 Fields Nov. 2, 1948 

